One of the brightest events in Port Douglas - It is a Festival of local culture.

David, my driver, came here from a suburb of Melbourne 30 years ago and never came back.

"Literally, never ", – He says with a laugh. "I had never been in Melbourne since, as we came ".

By the way, Your bartender moved to Cairns, also not having specified return date.

AND, moreover, There is a James, one of my guides, who discovered a passion for tropical forests and wildlife, and now can read every detail about the specific organisms falling hats.

In the evening, Saturday, local Aboriginal tribe of Kuku theYalanji people, Aboriginal people arrive at the Sheraton, to come up on stage and literally make people understand their 50 000-summer culture.

People of the tribe of Kuku theYalanji people, Aboriginal people known as the "rainforest people" due to their proximity to nature and its surrounding landscapes. They are also the most ancient chefs in the world, their cooking techniques, dating back tens of thousands of years (Fun fact: They also were the first people, who invented bread).

Gary Creek, who organized this event, showed me the intricate process of cooking in an underground oven, that represents three shallow holes, with hot glowing stones (collected from the nearby plot), and which are then covered with sand and wet bags from hessiana with banana leaves.

All materials are natural, and this method has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

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"We used car, to obtain materials and chainsaw, to chop firewood ", – says Gary. "It was the only modernization, We have done.

"We believe, that the ancestors would it approved», He added with a laugh.

Local food specially prepared by the local people, working together with kitchen team Sheraton.

Event Underground gourmet kitchen / Underground Gourmet is an important part of people's attempts to Cook Jalandzi to overcome the cultural gap between Aboriginal people and not indigenous Australians.

"There are misconceptions about us … and I think, What we need to contribute to, to change this. We want to teach people, What we do, processes, behind all these, – He motioned to a burning underground leads to furnace – and explain, why we do it ".

Chef Andrew Johnson says the same thing. He confirms, What is happening for the first time, When the hotel giant makes a similar event, and that a key part of it – the promotion of mutual understanding between the two cultures.

As part of this he went on close contact with locals, to help gather materials for underground ovens.

Preparation of underground furnace to the first event of the Underground Gourmet / "Underground Gourmet" at the Sheraton Hotel.